The Green Wraith
by darthsquirt2
Summary: Years ago, Kim Possible was a globetrotting heroine moonlighting as a college freshman, and Shego was a mostly reformed assistant to Drakken. Then, a plot to kill the ex-villainess went horribly wrong, catching Kim instead. Now, a new figure is on the scene, methodically taking out the villains Kim used to hunt. They are invisible, deadly, and call themselves; The Green Wraith.
1. They Call This Foreshadowing

**Based off of "The Green Wraith" story concept and art by YogurthFrost. Used with permission. This story is intended for entertainment purposes only, contains KiGo (duh), and worst of all, may be well written.**

* * *

_Bored_

That was the word. The terrible stillness that surrounded her almost everywhere she went now. Ever since Drakken had "accepted" the pardon that the leaders of earth had given them in gratitude for their efforts in thwarting an alien invasion. Truth be told, currency-preferably in its mineral form-would've carried the sentiment better, she thought. Being a thief wasn't the most lavish lifestyle, especially while under contract. The loot from her heists usually went right to Drakken. She used to spend her meager salary on exotic vacations since her employer took care of basic necessities, but in recent years, instead of flying halfway around the world to lounge on each, she just purchased a lawn chair and a tanning lamp. With light proof sunglasses and earphones in, she could hardly tell the difference.

_Bored_

It came with the job. Shego knew that, as a thief, she'd sped days at a time that dreary state, in return for a few hours, or minutes depending on the job, running on pure adrenaline. Not that she went on many jobs anymore. Now she only left the lair for two reasons. One, to "acquire" the occasional piece of technology Drakken needed, but no sane person would sell, and therefore entrust, to him.

_Bored_

She knew was a necessary part of her life. Boredom came with the territory. She might as well spend it as comfortable as possible. Shego felt herself sink further into the chair, drifting into sleep. The one relief from boredom left to her at the moment.

_Bzzzt_

Her phone, set on vibrate, began buzzing from her dresser. She briefly considered vaporizing it, but instead got up and walked to it checking her messages.

_Hey, I should be done with missions for the rest of the week. _

_Want to meet up? Usual time, usual place? -KP_

A faint smile tugged at her lips. That was the second reason she left the lair. Kim. She began spending some time with her old archfoe off the clock. At first, who is just to stay in shape, but more recently-since most of Kim's friends were attending college out-of-state-they began meeting up in a nearby café. Shego typed a brief reply.

_Workout or latte?_

The answer was almost instant.

_Workout._

"Doc," Shego called, reaching for a coat sporting her trademark colors. "I'm heading out."

"Have fun Shego. Oh, and tell that insufferable do-gooder I said hi." He called back from the floors below.

Shego chuckled softly to herself before leaving.

* * *

_Sigh_

Kim exhaled slowly, staring at the pile of books and papers before her. Her right hand twitched, almost dropping the pencil it held. Her palms ached. She sat at her desk keeping watch over a mound of textbooks and paperwork. A series of crumpled papers littered the wastebasket and she'd pulled up beside her chair. An extra two days of homework she had to catch up on all because of some scientists who decided to get lost in some godforsaken cave in the Himalayas. She recalled, with some envy, the days were she could finish her homework quickly and have time left over to help Ron with his. She vaguely thought that it will be worth it completely to have to do both of their homework if he'd decided to attend school with her. They still talked often, but it wasn't the same as him being there.

_Sigh_

She crumpled up another page, shorthand characters covering two thirds of it, and threw it in the trash. She really hated writing. This is so difficult keep everything in her head at once, not to mention being able to think and act for someone else. Idly, she mused that characters must have it easy in comparison. Authors had the really tough job. She didn't know how they managed to stay sane.

_Sigh_

She wished, no needed a distraction. Anything to get her mind off of the 300 pounds of paperwork that her desk was currently groaning under. She withdrew her phone. Whereas when she used to need a break from reality she'd call up Ron, now she just messaged Shego. She'd once joked that someone might mistake the green woman for her new sidekick. Shego'd scoffed, stating that Ron could never vaporize troublesome gossips. The woman had grinned mischievously, saying that she wouldn't have that problem. Kim drifted, rather than snapped out of her memory, a faint smile on her face. She opened her phone.

_1 New Message_

Kim frowned, opening the message.

_Workout, or latte?_

Kim grinned. Sometimes, she swore, Shego just _knew._

_Workout._

"Dad," She called, reaching for light brown coat. "I'm heading out."

"Have fun dear." Came her father's reply. "Back home before 11 remember? And_ no boys._"

"Right dad, no boys." Kim grinned, stepping out of her room and closing the door behind her.

* * *

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	2. Crimson Stained Emerald

Shego stepped out of a taxi in front of a run down office building in Upperton that had long since been deserted. It was only five stories tall. Too small for the banks to get a real profit on fixing, and then selling it, and too decrepit for a smaller business to have a hope at paying for repairs. While most commuters, tourists, and nearby businesses considered it a blight on the otherwise bustling district-and quite a few had petitioned for its demolition-it was the perfect place for an underground fighting ring, since when Kim and Shego traded blows, sparring was never the right word.

Shego hefted a duffel bag over her shoulder and stepped through the front doors. The taxi screeched away behind her.

_The only rule about fight club..._

Shego thought smugly, pushing through the double doors and moving toward the stairs. The building had no power, but the combined effort of shoddy construction work, and the intensity of the battles that took place within, the walls were speckled with holes and craters. Between that and the windows, enough light trickled in to see fairly well in most places.

The third floor was not one of those places.

That was what made it so fun to fight in. Shego rounded the stairwell for the third time, and stepped off onto the main, empty floor. She tossed her duffel bag-filled with usefull changes of clothing instead of frivolous items such as sparring equipment-into the corner.

_Tyler's here, now were just waiting on Norton._

Shego began walking through a series of basic stretches and katas.

_Well if Princess is sore from sitting at her desk for so long, that's her problem. She should've gotten here sooner._

* * *

Kim pulled up to the lot behind the abandoned office building that she and Shego used as a makeshift dojo. Smiling faintly, she rounded the run down structure which, much to the fire department's horror, only had the one door. As Kim walked, she noticed a brief flash of light from a darkened window in the apartment complex across the road. Her smile replaced by a frown, she mentally shrugged off the event and pushed open the door. She heard the boards above her creak and groan.

_This is what we do for fun. _

Kim chuckled to herself, climbing the stairwell.

_Have potentially lethal fights with plasma and battle armor in a condemned building. Mom and Dad would freak if they knew. _

She reached the third floor to find Shego standing in the center of the room, smirking at her.

_And to think I was going to spend the day doing homework. _

Shego's hands twitched, and green fire flickered to life around them.

Kim shrugged off her overcoat and tossed it into a corner. She flexed her right hand, which bore a blue band on it. One that could convert itself into nanite powered battle armor in seconds.

"About time, Princess." Shego drawled. "It's not polite to keep a lady waiting like that."

"Then it's a good thing there aren't any ladies present." Kim retorted, closing to fighting distance-which is about arms length. "Plus, taxi drivers get you around only slightly slower than inter dimensional travel."

"Oh sure." Shego threw her hands up in mock indignation. "You steal one belt capable of tapping into the fourth dimension, and you're branded for life."

"How many times do you need?" Kim rolled her eyes, reaching for her armor controls. Out of the corner of her eye, from a window behind Shego, she saw that curious reflection again. A small sparkle of light, like the sun off of a piece of glass.

Shego twisted to follow Kim's stare just as the reflection of the sun's light was replaced by a flicker of yellow.

Shego screamed, falling backward. Her right side began rapidly flooding with crimson.

"Shego!" Kim dove forward and caught the woman, dragging her into a corner of the room away from the window. "Shego!"

Shego's eyelids fluttered. Her pupils spun about as she tried to shake herself from her daze. Kim withdrew her kimmunicator.

"Wade!" She shouted, after her friend's face flickered to life on the screen. "I need an ambulance here now!"

Wade blinked twice, then began typing a string of commands into his computer.

"Okay, just a sec. I...woah!" He jumped back a little from his monitor, then rechecked it, not believing what it showed. "Kim," he turned back to her. "The building you're in, I'm reading explosives signatures all over the place."

Kim glanced around once before turning back to Wade. "How much time?"

"Less than a minute."

Kim dropped the device and pulled Shego over her shoulder. Wade's shouts and Shego's screams blurred together. She kicked at the nearby wall, crumpling the outer layer and exposing the supports, wiring, and insulates beyond.

"Shego, make a hole." She ordered. With her free arm, she picked up her nearby coat and began to rapidly fold it.

Shego's plasma flared brilliantly, sending the exposed infrastructure-which was barely up to code in its prime-flying outward. Kim shot her grappling hook out the opening to latch onto the adjacent building, a department store. She wrapped the launcher repeatedly around the sturdiest looking group of supports still exposed. That completed, she wrapped her coat, now folded into a makeshift harness, around Shego and tied the sleeves together above the wire.

"Kim," Shego growled, feeling faint. "What are you doing?"

"Saving your life." Kim replied, calmly. "You can thank me later." With that, she shoved the ex-villainess out through the still smoldering crater in the office's exterior. Shego fell momentarily, then the harness snapped taught, and she began a rapid decent down the impromptu zip line.

Behind her, Kim activated her battle suit before grabbing the wire herself. The nanites in her bracelet rapidly reproduced as the armor unfolded itself across her body. She only made it a quarter of the way down the line, and the nanites halfway across her chest, before the building erupted behind her.

Shego heard Kim's scream as the line above her slackened, one of its anchors consumed by a wave of extreme heat and pressure. The cry stopped with a sickening crunch from the concrete below.

Shego's momentum was enough to carry her through a window of the department store, albeit on a floor considerably below the one she was initially headed for. There was a series of panicked shouts as she crashed through the glass, bounced once, and lay still. From the sharp pain lancing up her side, she knew she'd landed at an angle, or perhaps a velocity, she shouldn't have. A tear rolled down her cheek, not born entirely from physical agony.

The last thing she heard before passing out, was the wail of approaching sirens.


	3. Breaking News and Opening Credits

_-Breaking news! Terror in downtown; an explosion in the defunct Zelmelb accounting firm-_

_-The old gas leak explanation wont hold up to this one-_

_-Total destruction of the building, only a week before its scheduled demolition-_

Starring Sheridan Go as Shego

_ -Several people have been rushed to the ER already-_

_-One body has been found in the rubble, its hard to tell, but it looks female-_

_-Kim Possible, a heroine renowned for her availability was not on the scene, and could not be reached by usual methods-_

Ron Stoppable and Yori Kaganoko as Yamanouchi ninja

_-It remains unconfirmed, but there appears to have been around seventeen injured victims, and one deceased-_

_-Estimated seven hundred thousand dollars in property damage to surrounding buildings alone-_

_-Police are investigating possible leads for the perpetrators, but have refused comment. So far No group has claimed credit-_

Betty Director as the head of Global Justice

_ -Kim Possible is still missing in action-_

_-Emergency response teams are still digging through the rubble, looking for survivors-_

_-Sources confirm the reformed villainess Shego was on the scene moments before the explosion-_

William Du as Global Justice's top agent

_-An anonymous tip informed us that the body extracted from the scene was none other than Kim Possible's-_

_-Our source declined further comment, stating only that her chances were not good-_

_-We're receiving word that...wait...are your sure? It...it seems that our resident heroine was just released from the ER...directly to the morgue-_

And guest starring Vivian Porter as herself

_-It is a sad day for the world-_

_ -Minutes ago, The President declared a national day of mourning-_

_ -Today is the day when Kim Possible died-_

Kim Possible, in...

_**The Green Wraith**_


	4. In the Aftermath and Aftershocks

_Boredom_

It was a word that, for Shego, had been redefined in the past four years. Boredom took on a completely new meaning, a new severity, a new tone.

_Boredom_

It was no longer a period between bouts of excitement and engaging activities. A temporary state that came with the job. Now, it was her job. She maintained the dull monotony.

_Boredom_

It is strange, Shego though once, how much more devestating boredom seemed when one had nothing left to occupy their time. For her, that meant no vacations, no heists. No Kim. It was torture.

_Boredom_

It was a well paid torture though. Drakken's paranoia over the past few years knew no bounds. No longer was she his resident procurement specialist, now she was his bodyguard.

_Boredom_

She embraced it now. Maintained it. She kept herself as busy as possible doing so. Four years doing the same job, day after day, and she tried every day to stop herself from slipping into autpilot.

_Boredom_

She hated it, fled from it, but paradoxically, spent her time ensuring its continued existence. She had to keep busy somehow, because if she let boredom take over as she had been oft to do years ago, her mind would inevitably drift back to...

_Kim_

That night haunted her dreams, lurking on the edge of her consciousness stay and night. She remembered it with perfect clarity. The rush of wind against her face, the tug of her makeshift sling against the rope. The explosion. The scream. The silence.

"Shego!"

Drakken's voice snapped her back to reality. She shook herself, forcing her pained memories back to the edge of her thoughts.

"What is it Dr. D?" She shouted down to him.

"Get down here!"

Sighing, she pulled on a slightly worn, brown coat, and stepped out of the security room.

* * *

A/N: I apologize for the long wait. This chapter was initially supposed to be longer, but I don't have the energy to write the rest. For me, it's been a draining few weeks. So you get exposition. Rejoice.


	5. Information is the Only True Currency

Shego rounded the lt flight of stairs in the lair and was treated to the sight of her blue skinned employer holding out the lair's phone to her.

"Someone called for you." He stated simply, sounding annoyed.

"I got that, thanks." She snapped, taking the few steps over to him and grabbing the phone.

Drakken stormed off in the direction of his lab, grumbng about 'needless interruptions of his genius.'

Rolling her eyes, Shego brought the phone's speaker up to her ear.

"Hello Mrs. Go." An obviously electronic voice greeted her over the phone.

"Who is this?" Shego asked, suspicious of people who knew her name but withheld their own identities.

"Who I am is of no consequence. What we can do for each other is of much greater intrest to the both of us, I assure you."

"And what exactly do you need from me?"

"I need you to break into a secure facility and retrieve some...items for me. Items I require to persue my own ambitions." The voice informed her.

"And what can you do for me?"

"The facility I need you to break into is a HenchCo research and development centre." The voice continued, despite her inquiry. "The item is a portable plasma generator and manipulation system."

"I'm still not seeing how benefit from this." Shego drawled. Her thumb idly brushed across the reciever.

"Jack Hench is planning on mass producing that machine once finished, and loaning out the designs to the highest bidders. The system guarding it is formidable. I offer you two things. The chance to take a technology mimicking your ability off the market. More importantly, I offer you the chance for more excitement than you've had for the past few years."

"And all I have do do is give you this technology?" Shego aske as a mask for her excitement over the prospect of a new job.

"Would you prefer that Jack Hench got his greasy little paws on your powers?" The voice asked surprised.

"I know Hench. I can work him, predict him, play him. I don't know you."

"I see." The voice paused momentarily. "Then I will throw in an added bonus for you."

Shego grinned. "I'm listening."

"Do you remember the night all those years ago?" Shego's mouth went dry, knowing exactly what she was referring to. "Of course you do." The voice chuckled. "I'd be disappointed if you didn't. It was a very important night for the both of us after all. Defining. Inspiring. Eye opening."

"Get to the point." Shego growled.

"If you get me this device, I will tell you exactly what happened that night to the esteemed Kim Possible."

For a few moments, the only sounds in the room were Shego's sharp breathing, and the-to her-too loud beating of her heart.

"You bastard." Shego snarled. "Tell me what you know!"

"Bring the device tmethod location tomorrow night," Her phone beeped as it recieved a text message. "And I just might."

The call ended before Shego could reply.

"I will get this damned device." Shego whispered menacingly. "I will find you, and if I don't like what you say, I will end you."

She replaced the phone and called out to Dr. Drakken.

"I'm going out tonight, Dr. D."

His face appeared almost immediately, sticking diagonally out of a nearby doorway.

"What? Where? Why?"

Shego didn't answer, instead heading for the door, buttoning up her coat as she went.


	6. Deals with the Devil

Shego stepped toward a large concrete facility. Just from the outside, she could see guard towers, searchlights, multiple checkpoints, and several well-armed roaming patrols in between them all. What she couldn't see, but knew lay in wait for her, were the motion sensors, silent alarms, infrared tripwires, and pressure detectors. In short, everything needed to make a building completely impenetrable. Even with the cover of a moonless night, Shego's expertise would be severely challenged under normal circumstances. Normally, for a job like this, she would have received schematics, guard schedules, and the specs on all security systems present, all courtesy of her employer. Because of her damn curiosity, she had none of that. She stood silently for a few moments, staring at the nigh impregnable multi-layered security system borne of Jack Hench's unrealistic paranoia, and the fearsome arsenal it boasted.

She went in the air ducts.

Being a villain herself, she knew the weakness all of them seemed to have for larger than necessary ventilation systems. Since all villains contracted their lair building to Hench, it stood to reason that he would have the same flaw in his own lair. Thankfully, he did not disappoint. Shego found a ground level grate set away from any serious defences, and simply kicked it in.

Fifteen minutes later, she crawled back out with the prototype requested by her 'employer' in addition to several small fortunes in data and schematics, provided for her by the tendency of Jack's eggheads to leave their workstations unsecured. Even without the pay she still griped about not receiving, Shego felt that the job had paid for itself.

Returning to the hovercraft, she hopped in and dumped her haul in the back seat before setting the auto pilot to take her to the coordinates provided by her mysterious 'employer.'

Feeling better than she had in years, she leaned back in her chair and allowed her eyelids to droop slightly.

_When they opened again, she stood in a grassy field, the plants' stems brushing up against her waist. The sun glimmered, a few fleeting rays reaching out from beyond shifting marble clouds. The amber grain flowing as one in choreographed waves though there was no breeze. Shego sound herself wearing loose fitting jeans and a white t-shirt in place of her trademark uniform. Movement from far ahead caught her eye. A pair of silhouetted figures strolled lazily through the grass ahead. Curious, she began to wade through the field._

_The sounds of familiar laughter and just inaudible conversation drifted back toward her as the figures ahead continued their walk, constantly managing to maintain their distance. A pang of envy struck Shego, and she redoubled her speed, trying to catch the illusive couple ahead._

_She jumped as she felt a slender finger tap her shoulder._

_Shego turned, and was greeted by a young woman, clad in a simple white dress, tassels of red hair dancing slightly in defiance of the lack of wind._

"_Hey." The woman greeted, smiling pleasantly at Shego. "It's good to see you again."_

"_Yeah." Shego croaked as she pulled the woman into a tight hug. "It's been too long, Princess."_

"_You have no idea how much I've missed hearing you call me that." Kim sighed, eagerly returning the embrace for a moment before pulling away. "That, and…well…a lot of things."_

"_And I missed you," Shego whispered, unable to take her eyes from Kim's "More than anything."_

_There was a short, almost musical laugh that made Shego's head swim. Kim smiled broadly up at her._

"_Why haven't you found who took me from you?" Kim asked, the cold, accusing tone in her voice completely contrasting with the content simile lighting her face._

"_Wh-what?" Shego sputtered._

"_My killer." The cold voice continued, Kim's grinning lips moving along with the words. "I died for you." The voice informed her, blood pooling along her left side, drenching her torso. "The least you could do is pay the one responsible back in kind." The blissful quality left Kim's face, replaced by an almost predatory grin._

"_I…I am trying." Shego stammered. "Right now, I have a job. I can find who did this," Unbeknownst to Shego, her eyes flashed malevolently at her next words. "And show them five years worth of pain."_

"_Good." Kim's innocent smile and tone returned. She leaned forward, planting kiss on Shego's cheek. "As it should be, la mia altra metà." She murmured._

_Shego's last thought as the world dissolved around her, was that she should've retained more foreign languages from her globetrotting days._

Shego returned to the land of the waking as her hovercraft began descending, clutching her worn brown coat against herself. A quick look around informed her that she was currently just over Middleton's high school football stadium. She collected the prototype as her vehicle touched the ground.

From the surrounding shadows, a blonde woman in a grease stained lab coat approached her.

"Dr. Porter?" Shego asked, puzzled, recognizing the woman from one of her attempted thefts years earlier. "What are you doing here?"

"I'm just the middle woman." Came the even reply. Shego was cut off from further inquiry by her then ringing phone.

"Hello?" She answered it curtly.

"Give my associate the package." Was the equally brief reply from the familiar, electronically scrambled, voice.

"Not a chance. I want the information you promised me first."

"You give Dr. Porter the package, she proceeds to the parking lot. Then, and only then, do I give you your compensation."

Shego gritted her teeth as she handed over the stolen prototype. Dr. Porter took it without a word, and strode from the field. Her walk to the edge of the stadium seemed to stretch on for hours. Finally, the voice came back over the speaker.

"Very well, your reward. The person responsible for the death of the naïve teen heroine," The voice paused, almost hesitantly. "Was me."

Shego's grip tightened on her phone, the casing cracking under her increasingly vice like grip.

"I'm sure you'll be hearing quite a bit about me in the coming months."

"Why you arrogant little-"

"Goodbye, Shego." The phone clicked off with a resounding finality.

Bits of plastic and circuitry fell to the ground as Shego's anguished cry split the night.


	7. Walking in Limbo

A/N: Alright! Damn you six hour long flight, you win this round! Since I have nothing else to do anymore and no other excuse for not posting another chapter, here you go.

Everything seemed to move about her in a constant blur. She didn't even feel like she was moving, but that the scenes around her kept changing. First she was at the football field, then the streets of Middleton were whirling by. People, cars, buildings, and lights. All of it blended together, swirling around her. Somehow she made it back to Drakken's Lair while it was still dark out. Only when she was lying atop her bed, willing herself to pass out to spare herself the overwhelming sense of grief that tugged at her every waking moment, did she realize how hungry she was. An hour passed. Then two. Finally, still agonizingly awake, she ventured downstairs if only to cease her stomach's disquiet so she could escape awareness. Even the nightmares she was sure to have were preferable to _this_.

"Shego!" Drakken called out as she reached the kitchen. He quickly ran up to her, tears welling under his eyes. "Where have you been these past few days? I was afraid that new upstart had gotten you too."

Shego blinked at him. "What upstart?" She asked as she stepped around him, disinterested.

"The one who's been killing our old colleagues!" Drakken cried, waving his arms frantically. "Monkey Fist, Killigan, and even that hideous Gill!"

That stopped Shego. Killings were rare in their line of work. Not even Global Justice went for it. If a hero died, it was usually because they couldn't escape the deathtrap in time-which was usually seen as their fault, not the villain's-and the villains numbers only dwindled due to lab 'accidents.' It was part of the job, and the risks came with the territory. Murder was a whole different line of work from world domination. After all, plots that big never work the first time, and any self-respecting villain has to keep trying. It's not easy to do that whilst staring down a life sentence.

That meant either some overzealous vigilante was trying to fill Kim Possible's place, or a new player was getting rid of competition. Either option meant more work for her.

"Great." Shego sighed, preparing a light meal. "Just what I need."

"Shego, this is serious. Someone's trying to kill us. We need to review security in the lair. My intellect should not suffer having to be made a statistic."

"Then we'll have to do it fast." Shego mumbled through a mouthful of food. "My contract ends on Friday."

"Oh…well…yea, about that." Drakken fidgeted nervously. "I was hoping we could just renew it again, since you're obviously staying on."

"You know the drill, Dr. D. Senor always insists on setting up a bidding war. Proper villainous conduct and employment standards, you know that."

Drakken faked a smile, looking suddenly uncertain. "Yes…yes, of course. If you'll excuse me, I need to…do some things." He practically ran from the room.

Shego sighed again, finishing her plate. Her mood not the least bit improved, she tried again for sleep.

* * *

_She found herself on a dance floor this time. Bodies twisted around her, all moving slowly-almost awkwardly-in time to a faint orchestral piece. She heard, above half mumbled conversation and almost muted music, a light-hearted, almost bird song like laughter. She caught a glimpse of a pair of bodies, pressed together, gliding and twirling through the crowd. In the moment she saw them between a small partition of bodies, she caught the glint of polished metal. She craned her neck, hoping for a look at the joyous couple as they passed her._

_"Who's side are you on, Shego?" A familiar voice asked quietly from behind her. _

_She turned, only to meet an accusative glare that staggered her._

_"K-Kim…I…"_

_"Save it." The apparition held up a hand, palm out, to her. "I can't believe you. The one who killed me, who took away everythin I ever wanted, everything I ever ad, everything I could've had, and you _helped _them?"_

_"How could I have known?" Shego's voice cracked, tears spilled down her cheeks. "How was I supposed to know the bastard who hired me was the one who…who…"_

_"I wouldn't have stopped, you know." Kim glared at her. "If it had been you who died, I wouldn't have rested until I found amd punished the one responsible."_

_"Maybe is should have been me then." Shego sobbed, trying to wipe away at least some of the tears._

_Kim was quiet for a few moments, looking at her contemplatively. "Who's side are you on?" She asked quietly. "Is it mine? Drakken's? Yours? Or maybe someone else's?"_

_"Yours." Shego answered instantly. "Always yours."_

_For a moment, Kim's features twisted into a mixture of pity and anguish. _

_"You shouldn't be."_

_And then the world fell away around her._


	8. And So It Unravels

A/N: Quick fix, in the last chapter I originally stated that Killigan was killed off screen. That was supposed to be Gemini. It has since been rectified, but for those of you who read the chapter prior to its correction, you are now informed. And now, without further ado, more words by me.

"I can top that. Two million, per month on a yearly contract. With compensation for the lack of vacation days." Frugal Lucre declared.

"Posh. I offer three million and both Iceland and the Caribbean when I inevitably conquer the world." Amy countered.

"Four!" Dementor cried. "Und I vill offer to hyu ze land of hyour choozink."

Shego sighed, sitting next to Dr. Drakken, who was sweating profusely having been thoroughly outbid hours ago, at a large round table. Around her, other villains shouted and bickered, each trying to lure her over to their organization. Shego was widely regarded as the only person capable of holding off the enigmatic Green Wraith. If Villain's digest was to be believed, she was the only person to survive an encounter with the killer. Shego wasn't proud of that 'accomlishment.'

"Ah ahm sure the lass would prefer someone who actually stands a chance at takin' over the world." Killigan declared. "I'll even give ye Ireland, a whole country as a course. Ah'll even have me men prepare it for ye."

At the head of the table, the host, Señor Senior, Senior watched the bidding war with interest.

_Three hours_. She thought.

Three hours of watching every two bit would be world conqueror trying to hire her. Pretending money and power still interested her.

"I don't give a damn about my salary!" She thought, fuming. "I'll work for whoever helps me get that bastard."

She blinked, realising the room had become completely silent as each villain looked at her, incredulous.

"I'll do it." Drakken spoke up instantly, looking at the same time both terrified and reassured.

"Done." She pushed a single slip of paper over to him after a brief moment signing her own name and listing her only term. Drakken, after a few seconds of hesitation, placed his signature on the document as well before folding it up and placing it within the confines of his labcoat.

"Very well, that is that." Señor Senior, Senior smiled amicably from his seat. "Now if there is nothing else…"

He stood to get up. "Pardon me, Señor." A low, menacing voice rasped from the shadows. "One more thing."

The wall behind Shego erupted in a hail of emerald flame and pitch black smoke, the setting sun's auburn rays pouring in through the newly created opening. Shego, having recognized the voice leapt over her employer, tackling him to the ground milliseconds before the flames reached them. They tickled harmlessly against her, but proved lethal to the others around the table. Killigan, who had been seated next to Shego, was gone. DNAmy dashed around, screaming and patting frantically at green tongues of fire blazing contentedly on her sweater. Junior was slouched on the table, his wife beneath him. Blood trickled in streams down her trembling form. Shego dragged Drakken, trailing a not quite purple liquid behind him, into a corner, watching as Lucre pulled a simple pistol from his waist and began firing madly. A series of sickening crunches silenced him. Dementor lay on the floor nearby, unmoving. His mask was twisted and bubbling. In some places, it had obviously welded to the flesh beneath it. Adrena Lynn sobbed from Shego's left, performing C.P.R. on an unresponsive Motor Ed. There was another flash of green fire. Her charred remains hit the floor, a half melted ring on her finger the only partially intact object remaining.

"Enough!" Señor Senior, Senior shouted, standing proud amidst the chaos. What remained of the villainous community whimpered and cowered behind him. Shego watched, in awe, from across the room. "Show yourself, you honourless vigilante!"

Several nearby villains gasped. Vigilante was a terrible insult in their chosen profession. Hero, do-gooder, meddlesome troublemaker, buffoon, insufferable twat, those were all acceptable terms for those who interfered with their plans. Vigilante implied not only that an opponent wasn't worthy of being on the side of the heroes-being regarded as a morally challenged bounty hunter-but was also a coward, little better than a common thug.

Henchmen were more respected than vigilantes, by both sides.

A figure emerged from the shadows, standing directly in front of the defiant, aged man. Green, silver, and gold tinted armour shone, glinting in the red light. Flexible, interlocking plates covered the body, and a mask, twisted into a hideous anguished scowl adorned the figure's head. A black cape, splashed with acid and flame swirled around it. The whole left side of the armour sported carbon scoring, as if exposed to intense heat briefly. Emerald plasma swirled around clawed hands, mocking Shego as she stared. It held Camiele's limp neck in her right hand, flames boiling away flesh and sinew.

The figure stared down at Señor Senior, Senior expectantly.

"You have done all this." He gestured with a shaking hand at the carnage surrounding them. "Why? Why have you come into my home in such a manner?" He demanded in a voice trembling with rage. "What do you hope to gain from this?"

The Wraith cocked its head to one side, as if it didn't understand.

"This is not how things are done!" Señor Senior, Senior shouted, slamming his cane onto the ground before him with both hands, cracking the tiling. His left slipped below the pommel as his right pulled up. He brandished a blade, drawn from the expertly carved wood, at the intruder.

There was complete silence as all attention in the room was drawn unconditionally toward them.

"You are not one them." The voice said quietly after a moment, its hesitation betraying…something. "You need not do this."

"That is where you are wrong." Senior informed her, holding his blade with practiced ease and grace. "All that is required for evil to flourish is for good men to do nothing." He declared, spinning the sword twice, cutting the ait in front of him in an x-like pattern. "I may have been a villain, as your victims are, but you are the one who must be stopped. The one who must be stood up to."

The figure was quiet for a moment, then nodded once. As if he had been waiting for that acknowledgement, Senor lunged forward, his sword pointing toward his adversary's heart. All others in the room held their collective breath.

The Wraith leapt to its left, spinning in a clockwise motion. Its elbow slammed into the protracted blade. Senior's grip, tighter than necessary in his calm fury and determination, refused to relinquish his handle.

The steel shattered.

The air, standing still in anticipation a moment ago, now fled the collected onlookers in dread of what was to follow.

Five clawed fingers, folded into a point, pierced the elderly villain's heart.

The world around them stood still, as the Wraith leaned in to whisper in its adversary's ear. A second of complete silence. Two. Three. Finally, the Wraith pulled back.

He laughed twice, blood bubbling at the back of his mouth. "It makes sense now, my dear." He rasped as trails of crimson trickled from the corners of his lips. "My computers…use my network…find the one responsible…and know peace…" His eyes turned to the ceiling, and his breath faltered. "How did it ever come to this, my child?" His right arm clasped the shoulder of his soon to be killer, partially to steady himself. His eyes lost focus, beginning to roll backward. "I can no longer tell what is…"

The Wraith lowered his corpse, almost reverently, to the floor. It straightened itself, its head bowed for a moment, silently gazing at the no longer moving form.

"You were the only one who was ever truly worthy." The expressionless voice informed him mournfully. "I am sorry it came to this. The world is a lesser place for it."

The Wraith looked around. Shego realized with a start that all others had fled. She and this…monster had been the only witnesses to the man's passing. Shego's eyes narrowed as she stared at the gore drenched figure in the middle of the wrecked room. Two fingers trailed across her employer's body in sequence. The first followed his wounds, the second-alight-cauterized them.

The Wraith regarded her, indecisively, before turning to leave.

Shego, leaving the minor cuts to bleed, launched herself at the withdrawing form. It turned, having anticipated the action, and caught both of her light fists in its own, blistering flames casually dancing across their adjacent hands. Shego, having launched herself with a ferocity she had never possessed before, had put all her weight into a single strike which, though blocked, was enough to send them sprawling. Planting a hand on the armoured chest, Shego launched herself upward. The Wraith flipped over as well, and they threw themselves at each other in a renewed vigour. At first, it was almost automatic. The attacks and counters, the blows and dodges. It was easy; it came so quickly to her. Shego grinned triumphantly. It faded when she realized that the action was coming just as easily to her foe. It even seemed like the thing was…enjoying it. With no small amount of outrage, Shego realized her opponent was _toying_ with her. She leapt backward before charging again, her claws a flurry. It disrupted the pattern; she took two blows that she would've easily blocked before. Then, she was inside the Wraith's reach, clawing at it. Metal scratched beneath her, and as she tore at the left shoulder, she heard a wire sputter with cut electricity.

The Wraith caught her hands again, and regarded her, their faces inches apart. Then it let her go, running to the collapsed wall. Shego watched as the figure leapt out of sight, and the last ruby rays of the sun disappeared into the night.

A/N: Yes, this was uploaded very quickly after the last one. No this will not become habitual. You owe this update to Table Thrower, and two guest reviewers that I could not thank via a private message. So I will do so here. You are the best ever, all three of you, for the rapid reviews. Everyone else can enjoy my thank you present to them, which is above these words you're currently reading. That and thank exceedingly long flight times. Stay tuned boys and girls for the next exciting installment of The Green Wraith, same time, same station. Oh yeah, this chapter is 1776 words long. Happy fourth of July Yanks!


	9. Approaching the Moral Event Horizon

Shego crouched on the upper balcony in the interior of a near empty warehouse, silently closing one of the high windows as she cast her eyes about the shadows below her. As the glass softly clinked shut, she withdrew a small handheld device from a pouch tied near her ankles, consulting the dim screen.

_"Go." Dr. Drakken coughed from behind her as she stared at the hole in the wall through which the Wraith had escaped her._

_She turned and rushed to her employer, cauterizing his remaining wounds with her left hand while her right raised his chin to look her in the eye. He slapped her hand away, wheezing slightly. _

_"Go! After her!" He blinked several times, trying to bring his vision back in focus. "Take this." He pressed a small object into her free hand. "While you were dancing about, I managed to get one of ingenious trackroaches on her. I had planned to put it in Dementor's drink, but I suppose even now I must suffer further setbacks."_

_"Dr.D," She protested, stowing the device. "I need to get you to a hospital."_

_"Bah. You gave me a worse thrashing than this during our last evil family poker night." He paused, trying to choose his next phrase carefully. "And on an unrelated note, I have no idea how those five aces wound up in my hand."_

_"Dr. D," Shego deadpanned. "don't make hurt you."_

_Even in his weakened state, his chuckle maintained a nervous tone._

_"Hurry after her, Shego. Leave me…I just need…a few moment's rest."_

_His head rolled back, eyes closed. After a few moments, he let out a loud nasal snort, and then another, until it became a steady pattern mapping his breathing._

_Shego smiled softly and clasped a hand to his shoulder as she rose before turning and taking off after her new adversary._

Shego's eyes flickered upward to the centre of the room before her. A single large crate, the kind used in industrial shipping, lie in the middle of the warehouse. The beacon Drakken planted had stopped broadcasting it's signal right next to it.

Shego leapt from the rafters, catching the support from a nearby wall before pushing off again to land, rolling, on the floor.

Her expression grim, she approached the large container. She walked a silent circuit around it. A large sliding door had been butchered into the side of the container, while the normal doors appeared to have been welded shut. She crept up to the modified entrance and pressed her ear to the side of the metal wall, her hands gently gliding along the cool surface as they checked for locks.

Fortune seemed to smile doubly on Shego as she heard footsteps on the left side of the container, and the door appeared unsecured.

She flicked her wrists and a mechanical device in her gloves triggered metallic claws to appear on her fingertips.

She slid the door open slightly, weaving around it as she entered. Inside, she had to stifle a sharp intake of breath. Before her, her back to the door, Dr. Vivian Porter sat before several computer screens. In her lap, sat the grotesque mask that had killed Señor Senior, Senior.

_So it was you, all along. _Shego thought, her eyelid twitching slightly. In the back of her mind, a voice reminded her that she'd sworn never to kill, swore never to stoop to that level. She heard another voice, Kim's, edging her on, dismissing her conscience.

_It'll be so easy. She won't see it coming. _

_Just one swipe across the throat. It might not even hurt_

_You'll feel much better then. Sooo much better._

_I can rest easy. And you'll be able to sleep again._

_You promised me, Shego._

She stepped forward, flexing her fingers, a wicked grin on her face.

Suddenly the air smelled of ozone.

Shego felt the heat of plasma, similar to her own, hovering just behind her neck.

"I wouldn't do that."

Dr. Porter swiveled around, gasping at Shego in horror, but Shego didn't care. She was too busy focusing on the voice that just spoke. She turned her head slowly, her thoughts reeling. The voice had been cold, flat, emotionless, yet unmistakably…

"Kim?"

* * *

A/N: I apologize profusely for my absence. No really. If you so desire, you can blame the absolutely wonderful chaps at Ambrosia Software for making the brilliant Escape Velocity series, which I've recently gotten into. It's awesome. Anyway, if you want another chapter sooner this time, review. Otherwise, I can put it off safely without feeling like I'm letting anyone down.


	10. We're All Mad Here You'll Fit Right In

Shego's lungs seemed devoid of air for several seconds. Her body rotated to follow her head, turning to face a woman who'd been dead for five years.

"K-K-K-Kim?" She gasped, suddenly breathing rapidly, her body yearning for air.

Before Shego, a young woman stood pointing a metal encased right hand, alight with emerald plasma, at her. The woman wore tight fitting blue pants and a white tank top. Her auburn hair was sheared at chin level, and a series of shrapnel scars and burn marks reached from her left ear to the bridge of her nose. Her left eye, or rather, as Shego suspected, the empty socket, was covered by a black lens. As Shego's eyes drifted across the woman's form, taking it in completely, she noticed that the left arm was…just gone. Only the shoulder and a piece of the forearm remained. Where a closed wound and a scar should've been, Shego glimpsed a series of circular metallic sockets.

Shego's shuddering breaths slowed as she turned her gaze back to Kim's, staring into eyes that betrayed neither recognition nor surprise.

"How?" A gasp came from behind Shego, who turned reluctantly to face the speaker.

"How did you find us?" Dr. Porter sat with a hand clutching her chest. Shego noticed on the desk the woman had been working at, previously unnoticed, sat a scorched metal arm sporting three gouging scratches that had peeled away at the plating and some of the wires beneath.

Shego glared at the woman, but as her gaze snapped back around to Kim, the words couldn't leave her lips quickly enough.

"Draken fixed you with a tracking device."

"This container is shielded!" Dr. Porter protested.

Kim stared at Shego contemplatively for a moment before dousing and lowering her arm. She turned and strode briskly to a set of emerald and gold armour sitting on a nearby rack.

"The warehouse isn't." She observed, taking the suit piece by piece off the rack, inspecting it, and then attaching it to herself.

As Shego's heart rate began falling back into normal levels, she began casting her eyes around the room, questions filling her mind. Emotions swirled throughout her at such an alarming rate that she could feel herself growing dizzy.

"Kim…" She began, her eyes glued to the now fully armoured figure, who turned to her as she spoke. "I…"

"This is Global Justice!" An amplified voice spoke from somewhere beyond the walls. "Come out with your hands up. You have thirty seconds to comply before we open fire."

Kim's impassive gaze immediately turned deadly.

"You led them here." She growled, her hand flaring.

"No…you don't think I…" Shego sputtered, looking astonishedly at Kim "Work with _them_? Are you crazy?"

Kim slammed the last shoulder guard into place before tightening her cape around her. She turned back to Dr. Porter.

"Are they ready?" She demanded.

"Neither of them is. Your adversary did quite a number on them." She responded promptly, her voice curt.

Shego rubbed the back of her neck.

Kim sighed and reached for the door handle. Shego caught Kim's arm as it passed her.

"You're not going out there."

Kim wrenched it back, glaring. "You have another plan?"

Shego paused for a moment.

"No." She admitted quietly.

"Stay in here." Kim ordered, reaching for the door again.

"I can't do that." Shego said, her hand latching onto the door handle.

Kim turned again to her. Her grip on the door tightened, and metal screeched.

"You're on their side then?" She asked quietly, her gaze boring straight through Shego.

"Yours." Shego responded instantly. "Always yours."

Kim's eyes flashed with _something_ so briefly that Shego couldn't tell if it had been real, let alone recognize it.

"Don't call me that."

Kim began wrenching the door open. Puzzling over the curious request, Shego pulled on it with her, before they both strode confidently out of the hideout. Thirty armed grey uniformed Global Justice agents stood around them in a semicircle. In the back, William Du stood, brandishing a megaphone and a handgun. At the sight of Kim, unmasked and one-armed, every agent paused. Some laxed their aim and stared. Others turned to each other and to Agent Du. William Du, for his part, stared unashamedly.

"You understand," Kim spoke in a low tone that only Shego heard. "That I will leave no witnesses."

Shego tried to swallow a newly formed lump in her throat before nodding once.

Shego could've sworn she saw Kim's gaze soften for a moment before the woman turned back to the agents around them.

"Kim Possible." One of them uttered aloud. "It's Possible!"

"Miss Possible," William Du barked, having recovered his voice. "You are hereby under arrest for the murders of Duff Killigan, Montgomery Fiske, and the mutant Gill."

_They must not have found out about the Senior's island yet. _Shego mused.

"What exactly do you plan on handcuffing me to?" Kim asked, her tone…bored? Disinterested? Resigned? Shego couldn't place it. Kim held up her only remaining arm, slight with emerald flames. At once all guns were trained on her.

A spurt of rage filled Shego. Plasma flared to life, rolling up the entirety of her arms. Many shifted their sights to her instead.

_Better._

The world stood still for a moment. Then Will raised his own firearm.

"Kim!" A voice echoed throughout the warehouse over the P.A. system. "Kim is that you?"

_Nerdlinger?_ Shego raised an eyebrow, placing the voice. It sounded different, sure. But it was certainly-"

"Wade?" Kim looked shocked, her eyes breaking momentarily from the agents around her.

A shot rang out.

Kim stumbled backward.

"No!" Wade shouted. "Wait!"

The rage filled Shego again, and she launched herself forward, toward the shooter. Toward Lead Agent William Du.

She knocked two agents aside, feeling bones give way, flesh and fabric sear. Her claws tore through the gun and chest of a third. There were screams. More shots. She felt bullets whiz by her. Will's gun was on her now. One shot. Shego felt her left shoulder reel. Another shot. She felt the round deflect off her right hip. A third. Her left calf was slowing now.

She reached Du as he was fumbling for his sun baton. Her right hand shot forward, her thumb and small finger finding purchase under his chin, her other digits tugging at his scalp.

She spun, as the flames around her hand melted skin and sinew, and threw the man back to smash into two of his nearby associates.

Shego panted, her eyes flicking back and forth for a new target. A new threat.

Kim stood amid a pile of bodies, a small fresh dent in the centre of her chest marking where Will Du's bullet had hit her, fixing Shego with an appraising look. Shego stared back at the woman as blood flowed down both of their arms, dripping into the pools at their feet from their fingers.

As the adrenaline flushed from her system, Shego felt herself alternating breaths with painful gulps.

"Kim…what did you just…" Wade's voice broke over the warehouse speakers, shattering the moment. Sounds of violent retching quickly followed.

Kim, having looked upward at the sound of the familiar voice, turned back to Shego.

"Go back inside and get yourself cleaned up. I will take care of the bodies."

Shego nodded once, then twice more in rapid succession. As she passed Kim, the woman spoke again.

"Tell Dr. Porter to arrange transport."

Shego heard the whine of plasma building from behind her. The entire warehouse glowed with a faint green light. Finally, as Shego reached the door, there was a brilliant flash.

The smell of burnt meat filled the air.

Shego opened, stepped through, and closed the door as she heard the tell-tale whine again.

"How did it go?" Dr. Porter asked without turning. Shego strode past her, collapsing into a reclining chair in the corner of the container, close to a spartan bed that a functioning part of her brain surmised was Kim's.

"She wants you to get ready to move." Shego managed to speak before her entire body grew numb.

She leaned backward, and her eyes closed.

_"You are hereby under arrest!"_

Bang!

_"No! Wait!"_

_"Duff Killigan, Montgomery Fiske, and the mutant Gill."_

Bang!

_"Kim…what did you just…"_

_"You understand, that I will leave no witnesses?"_

Bang!

_Kimmie…_

_"Don't call me that."_

_This time, she found herself back in her room. The one in Drakken's lair. It was smaller than she remembered, only fifteen feet by fifteen feet, and completely bare of furniture._

_"Why didn't you do it?" A hysterical voice shouted from behind her. "Why didn't you kill her?"_

_The room spun around Shego until she was faced with an openly weeping Kim, unscarred and unhandicaped, her face alternating between pleading and furious._

_"Dr. Porter?" Shego asked confused? "She wasn't-"_

_"No!" Kim screamed. "Her!" She gestured wildly with her right hand to the nearby corner. "Her!"_

_Shego's eyes followed the movement, and came to rest on a third figure. It was another Kim, the one she'd met that day. Her left arm was missing, as was her eye. The scars were there as well. The second Kim was crouched in the corner, and seemed to shrivel as Shego's gaze met hers._

_"Don't look at me." She moaned pitifully. "Please."_

_"I don't understand…" Shego shook her head, tearing her gaze back to the figure in front of her._

_"Yes you do." Kim stepped forward, taking Shego's hands in her own. "You have to. For me."_

_"I…" Shego hesitated, looking back at the figure now quietly crying in the corner. "I cant."_

_The Kim before her stepped forward, wrapping her arms around Shego tightly._

_"You promised me." She whispered directly into Shego's ear. "I would've died before I became _that_. You promised me."_

_And then the world faded away around her._

* * *

A/N: Brought to you by insomnia, nature's dual action muse and cure for procrastination. I figured as a thank you to the reviewers for last chapter; fighter64, ShadowCub, Ltlconf, Geno (twice!), darksaber92, and archer shield, I'd post this _before_ I get into Overlord: Raising Hell. Actually, I got about 1/3 of the way through it only to encounter a game breaking bug. (In the game you spawn different coloured minions; brown, red, green, and blue. I needed blue, but all the spawning portals were spawning the wrong thing. No problem,I thought. Blue spawns green, green spawns red, red spawns brown, brown spawns brown. Wait. What? _What!_) So yeah, now that I've caught back up, i wrote this before i progressed any farther and got sucked back into it. Hope you enjoyed, and remember, reviews expedite the uploading process. I have the next few chapters planned out already, I just won't write them until i feel like it. Muah ha ha ha. Mine is an evil laugh.


	11. Loading

A/N: For those of you who caught it (or I told), the last chapter's title was from Alice in Wonderland. We're down the rabbit hole now.

When Shego's eyes blinked open, the ceiling seemed to spin above her. She tried to push herself upward, but her left arm wouldn't respond. She could hear mumbled voices elsewhere. They seemed to fade away as she struggled to sit up.

Kim seemed to appear in her line of vision, standing over her. The woman's eyes seemed to scan over Shego's body. There was a prickle at the base of her neck, and Shego felt her eyelids grow heavy. The last thing she was aware of, was a hand on her cheek, and a thumb brushing across her forehead.

Sleep, this time, was thankfully dreamless.

When she woke again, the room was vibrating. She sat up without effort this time, glancing around. Only Dr. Porter was in the container now, and the room _was_ vibrating. It was fairly smooth, baring the occasional jolt. She grunted as she stood, and noticed that her wounded shoulder, hip, and calf were all efficiently bandaged. Dr. Porter spun in her chair to face Shego, eyeing her critically.

"How are you feeling?"

"Fine." Shego replied, tugging experimentally at the trappings on her shoulder. "Thanks Doc."

"Please," Dr. Porter shook her head, turning back to her workbench. "Call me Vivian. And…" She glanced back over her shoulder. "It wasn't me who fixed you up. Im somewhat out of my depths when it comes to human anatomy."

The fizz of a welding torch echoed around the room. Shego sat back down in the chair and extended the foot rest. A nail file seemed to appear in her hands.

"Where's Kim?"

"Up front, driving." Vivian frowned, her eyes not leaving her project.

Things were quiet for another hour or two. Neither occupant was really aware of time's passage. Shego filed each one of her claws down to a point, then smoother out her nails. Vivian's attentions went from project, to computer, to project again.

After almost three hours of _nothing_, Shego mentally threw up her hands.

"Why are you here?" Shego broke the silence, eyeing Vivian critically.

Dr. Porter turned back to her.

"Pardon me?"

"What's your stake in all this?"

"Why do you care?" snapped.

Seeing the taken aback look in Shego's face, Vivian sighed and turned her chair to completely face Shego.

"After Kim…disappeared, while your old colleagues were running amok, some of them got it into their thick skulls that they could steal me and my work for their schemes."

She turned halfway back to her desk, her hand idly brushing along a small picture frame standing upright on it.

"My…husband tried to stop them." She choked, tears gathering under her eyes. "They said it was just a stun weapon…but they…they…"

Her free hand cradled her temples as sobs wracked her body.

"They _killed_ him! My poor Oliver."

"The robot?" Shego blurted out before she could stop herself. "You _married_ your science project?"

"Don't talk about him like that!" Vivian rounded on Shego, glaring. "He was so much more than that. He loved me!"

Shego raised her hands apologetically. "Sorry. I didn't mean to…" She trailed off, unsure how to comfort the grieving woman.

"There's still hope." Vivian reported. "I saved a backup of his mind. I can rebuild him, just as he was before. We can be happy then." She pulled the picture to her and began cradling it close to her chest. "But I won't bring him back yet. Not until Kim and I make the world safe for him."

"Yeah." Shego mumbled, seeing the vacant look in Dr. Porter's eyes. "Doin' a great job so far." She leaned back in her chair again.

A/N: You get a short transistory and expository segment in celebration! A thank you this time to Ltlconf, TableThrower, and ShadowCub, some of my favourite people on the internet. And now whit im celebrating. I was nominated for not one, but TWO Fannie awards this year! Best Series Overall, one of three KiGo stories on the ballot, and Best New Author. Though I didn't win any, I was simply ecstatic to even be nominated. Especially for Best Series Overall. It felt phenominal. So, just for everyone who voted (for me, obviously), here you go! Three chapters in rapid succession!


	12. Letting Go is Pretty Easy After All

After a few more hours of jostling transit, the container finally lurched to a halt. Shego threw herself out of the chair a second before the doors on the side of the container slid open. Kim, in full regalia-minus her mask-stood framed in the entranceway. She nodded curtly to Shego and launched herself backward out the door. Shego moved after her, but stopped and turned back to Vivian.

"Are you going to be alright in here, Doc?" She asked, tentatively.

A soft click followed by two loud clacks answered. Dr. Porter's hand moved from her lap, placing a small black pistol on her desk.

"Okay then." Shego muttered, closing the door.

Shego looked around, searching for Kim, and was surprised to find that their vehicle-a truck designed for carrying cargo a significant distance-was parked in the middle of a quiet sburb. Kim stood a ways away from her on a street corner, staring up at a nearby house with trepidation.

"Something wrong?" Shego inquired, stepping next to her.

"They're waiting for us." Kim responded, her eyes still fixed on the building before her.

Shego followed her gaze. To her, the house seemed abandoned. "How can you be sure?"

"No car in the driveway, the lights on the front step are off, and the window gardens haven't been cared for in several days." She paused, then added quietly. "His mother always did like temperamental plants."

"Who are we after?" Shego asked solemnly, feeling she already knew the answer.

Kim hesitated. Shego glanced sideways at her, noting the conflicting feelings written across her features. Then she calmed.

"A witness. Nothing more." She said, calmly, stepping up into the lawn.

Shego moved with her, matching the younger woman pace for pace as they moved toward the front door.

"Please," Shego strode in front of Kim as they reached the entrance, her hands ablaze. "Allow me."

Her bioplasma flared brightly for a moment, and the door, its frame, and some of the surrounding wall was blasted into the house.

"Guess who's coming to dinner." Shego grinned, turning back to Kim. She placed one arm across her waist and bowed deeply. "After you."

Her eyes glanced up as Kim passed her, noting the small grin on the woman's face.

They stepped over the smoldering remains of the doors into a darkened living room.

"Are you sure this guy's here, Princess?" Shego asked, turning to Kim.

The armour clad woman visibly flinched as she moved toward a nearby staircase.

Sheking her head slightly, Shego followed.

The emerged from the top of the stairs to a long hallway. At the end, two black clad figures stood guard over a steel door.

"Ninjas." Kim muttered. "Why does it always have to be ninjas?"

"Kim," A voice echoed throughout the hall, full of concern. "please, stop this. I don't know what's happened, but we can help you. You just have to let us."

Kim froze mid step and Shego noticed a slight tremble. She placed a reassuring hand on the armoured shoulder.

"We do this your way." Shego whispered reassuringly.

Kim's posture steadied.

"You!" The voice shouted. "What have you done to her? Modulator, control chip? What have you done with Kim?"

"Enough!" Kim shouted. "She has done nothing to harm me, has _never_ done_ anything _to harm me."

"Kim-"

"Is dead!"

A second, then two of silence.

"Then who stands before us?" One of the ninjas, a woman, asked.

"Ikiryo." Kim replied, her and Shego's hands beginning to ignite.

The ninja was taken aback by this reply, and it showed. Shego used that moment to launch herself at the stunned ninja, even as Kim attacked the other. Shego's right fist struck her in the side of the head as her opposite leg hooked around the ninja's, sending the black clad warrior tumbling to the floor. The ninja flipped backward and leapt, off the steel door behind her, over Shego. As she jumped, the ninja threw three shuriken with a sweep of her hand. Shego spun to the left, letting two of the blades whir past her and caught the third between her thumb and forefinger. As she completed her rotation, she launched the instrument toward her opponent as she landed in a crouch.

The blade imbedded itself in the ninja's left shoulder, where it met the chest. Shego's eye's flickered above the now wounded woman to where Kim was fighting her own ninja. Her opponent seemed to glow with a faint, but steadily increasing, blue aura. A blade appeared in the warrior's hand.

The man swung.

Kim's armour was hardened to the point where it, against even a katana, wouldn't scratch.

The blade tore completely through her left arm. Kim leapt back to avoid losing her organic one completely, though the sword caught it as she retreated. Kim screamed, falling to the floor as blood began to flow from the wound.

Shego's ninja leapt toward her.

Growling, Shego focused her plasma into a concussive blast. With a brilliant flare, a wave of emerald fire launched her opponent into the armed ninja, sending both of them to the wall with a sickening crunch. To their credit, neither of them made a sound other than breaking bones and punctured organs.

Shego ran over to Kim's prone form and dragged a single lit finger across the wound on her arm, cauterizing it.

"Thank you." Kim nodded as she stood. She picked up her artificial arm and turned to the door. "Can you-"

"Wait." The voice sounded again, sounding resigned. "It's open."

The door clicked, and swung inward. Inside a dimly lit room, surrounded by computer monitors, sat a short, round, and brown skinned boy in his late teens.

"Wade." Kim acknowledged as she stepped into the room, Shego behind her.

"Go ahead." He sighed, leaning back in his chair, his arms wide. "Finish it."

"You…" Kim paused, her voice cracking almost imperceptibly. "You think I'd _kill_ you?"

"Why not?" Wade glared. "Like you said, you're not Kim. She would've died before becoming you."

"Yes." Kim nodded. "I did."

Wade shook his head, disgusted.

Kim looked back at Shego who stared at her, confused.

"How do you want to handle this?" The green skinned woman asked.

Kim turned, her gaze roaming around the room.

"Leave him." She ordered, stepping out into the hall. "Burn the rest."

"What about them?" Shego asked, her head nodding toward the two black clad figures still embedded in the wall.

"Leave them too."

Shaking her head once, Shego turned back away from the retreating figure. Three minutes later, she walked out as well, devastated sobs and the smell of molten technology drifting after her down as she left the house.

* * *

A/N:It took me three hours Jesuit to upload this, so you'd BETTER ENJOY IT. I'm so upset, I used capslock. I hate capslock. I woke up today, and got ready to head out on the writing train, but my agent bc hanged my ticket, and then I was stuck on the work train. It was bumpy and uncomfortable and full of rats, and thought by barred window I caught glimpses of the story train running alongside us powered by rainbows and the dreams of mermaids. So now here I am with nothing but travel sickness and bad analogy for my efforts. This might be the last I'm heard of for a while, because somebody just got a copy of Kingdoms of Alamur.


	13. 2 Ties of Binding

By the time Shego re-entered the cargo canister serving as Kim's hideout, she was thoroughly exhausted. She was unsurprised to see only Vivian in the room, performing emergency surgery on Kim's severed robotic arm. Mumbling a greeting a she passed the doctor by, Shego collapsed onto the warm reclining chair and served as her bed. She staved off sleep for well over an hour, keeping her eyes open and fixed on the metallic folds in the ceiling. After hitting a particularly severe bump in the road, she stretched, closed her eyes, and yawned. Her eyes remained closed as her breathing slowed.

1000 miles away, in a hospital, to figure blade adjoining beds. A blonde man, and a black haired woman. Recent bruises and wounds covered the bodies, and various machines were attached to them through tubes and wires. Neither stirred, and both's eyes were closed. Without visible provocation, a machine next to the woman, one that beeped intermittently, showing the progress of the slanting white line on a green background, began to screech as the line on the display flattened. Before the doctors and nurses could swarm the room, man's hand reached out, though he was still as comatose as she had been, and grasped the dying woman's arm. A faint blue light pulsed between them, from the man to the woman. After a few moments, the wail of the machine beside her subsided, replaced by a constant series of beeps. The newly arrived staff, relieved yet perplexed, vacated the room as quickly as they had occupied it.

_"Thank you."_

_Shego turned in time for smiling redhead to wrap their arm around her. It was weak, tentative, and childlike, the quite earnest._

_"You saved me." The woman and her arms purred contentedly._

_Slowly, Shego's arms snaked around the smaller form, pulling her closer_

_The younger woman's eye opened, beaming up at Shego._

_"Thank you."_

_"Anything for you, Kim." Shego murmured, closing her eyes slowly. "Anything for you."_

_She stood there for a time, holding her princess, before she felt another presence, directly behind her._

_She spun, turning to face the new figure. The woman who had moments before been embracing her began cowering behind her, trembling uncontrollably._

_Before her stood another Kim, her hair unkempt and with tears streaming down her face. Her body unlike the form behind Shego's, was whole._

_"You promised me." She sobbed, briefly pointing an accusing finger at Shego. "You promised me you'd kill that!"_

_The figure cowering behind Shego gave a pitiful whimper._

_"I…"Shego pause, tears welling at her own eyes. "I can't."_

_The image that had haunted Shego for five years stood before her, catching her heart in the same ice like grip as it always seemed too._

_"I loved you." Kim cried the very instant those thoughts entered Shego's head. "I loved you, you foolish woman." She sank to her knees, defeated_

_"Please…"She whispered. "I never wanted this… Not for you."_

_Shego's shoulders slumped. The form behind her seemed to vanish as she stepped toward the crime woman. She settled down on the knee and copped a hand to the tear stained face._

_"Please just forget this… All of this. Me, her. Just… Be happy."_

_"I am," Shego muttered. Out of the corner of her eye, she caught a glimpse of the same scarred figure that her waking life now revolved around. "With you."_

_Kim's head shot up, staring at Shego, horrified. Her mouth opened, about to speak, when the dream fell away around them._

* * *

A/N: You would've gotten that yesterday, but I took my birthday off. That and I've been playing The Bureau. And Hitman Absolution. Before they sucker me back in, I thought I'd take a breath of reality by writing creative fiction. But now that my sadistic urges have been catered to, I'm back to vidjamagames.


	14. Heart, Broken

Shego woke sporadically over the next two two days, emerging from her now dreamless slumber for a few garbled sentences or a cry of alarm before slipping back to a level below awareness. It carried on like that, to her it seemed, for eons. Hours upon hours of feverish half awareness. Sometimes, she felt a presence standing beside her, a gentle hand on her forehead, or a few words whispered in her ears. Other times, she imagined those things. Most of the time however, all that she was aware of was the jostle of an unkempt road.

Just past two in the morning on the third day after the raid on Wade's house, Shego awoke with a jolt, tearing herself from the cocoon of blankets that had been woven around her.

The first thing she did upon the full return of her faculties, was vomit.

A small disposal unit, welded to the floor, was the only invention of Vivian's that Shego was even slightly thankful for. The device tore apart any matter that entered it, reassembled much of it as water, and then dumped everything on the road below.

"Feeling better?" Vivian's smug voice asked from across the room.

"Yeah, thanks doc." Shego grumbles, wiping a line of cold sweat from her brow.

"Oh, don't thank me." Vivian replied as Shego arched her back, then returned to her seat as the room began to spin. "My doctorate is in robotics. Though I know quite a bit about human anatomy, I admit I am somewhat lost when it comes to medicine."

"Is that so?" Shego grimaced. Working out a knot in her kneck.

"Indeed." Vivin affirmed, turning back toward her computer. "Just because I'm a scientist, doesn't mean I am familiar with all of its various fields."

"Mm-hm."

"I daresay it is fortunate that I am the foremost in my field. Otherwise, I doubt I'd have been able to bring Kim back so to speak."

In a sentence, Shego's attention turned from idly twirling a hand through her hair, to staring raptly at the doctor typing at her workstation at the other side of the room.

"Doubly so in a few hours. Hopefully, the new batteries I'm developing should be finished by then, and that should keep Kim's cortiary systems running for a few months."

"Wait, go back." Shego interrupted. "What are you talking about?"

Dr. Porter turned back to her, blinking confusedly.

"Are you telling me…that Kim's some sort of…cyborg?"

"Well, if you want to use labels…"

"You put machines in her." Shego growled.

"O-of course." Vivian stammered nervously. "How else do you think she-"

"Why?" Shego roared, leaping up from her chair, hands ablaze.

Vivian didn't respond immediately, leaving Shego's heavy breathing to fill the silence.

"What did you do to my Kimmie?"

"Shego," Vivian began quietly. "You didn't really think that she survived the attempt on your life years ago? Not intact."

"I…I…"

"Many of her internal organs were severely damaged in the explosion. Shrapnel tore several of them apart, including her heart." Vivian sighed heavily, slumping slightly in her chair as she continued. "I…cloned organs for her, but the process takes years to do properly, and I needed a working heart in the meantime. Her body…it had been dead for long enough that it needed a beating heart just to accept new organs. So…I built her one." She dropper her head down, massaging her temples gently. "The cloned organs weren't ready until a few months ago. They took, but as it stands…she's 'living' on borrowed time at best."

Shego's fire extinguished and she found herself in desperate need of air.

* * *

A/N: Wow! It's been almost three weeks since I last updated this story. I assure you, it was for both complicated and meaningful reasons. Four of them, as it were. First, I've been writing for some other projects of mine. Second, I've been sick. Third, I've been replaying KotOR...again. Fourth, I took a day's worth of free time to create (another) tabletop roleplaying game, called Cyanide and Cryptograms, which I'm playtesting on Saturday. I decided to upload, even just a short chapter, before I got lost in it. Cheers!


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